"I heard from Mike Wrabel that the town needed a tree since the previous one was damaged in the storm last year and I just wanted to do this for the town," he said.

The former tree which was about 55 feet tall was damaged during the October snowstorm last year and although the Department of Public Works was able to trim it and keep it going for last year's tree lighting ceremony a new tree was necessary to replace the broken one, Wrabel said.

"The town has always made a special effort to take care of its trees and as a longtime resident I wanted to show my appreciation for that," Thompson said.

"We are just really thankful that Dennis offered the tree. A lot of people in town enjoy seeing it lit up during the holiday season,"Wrabel said.

The tree was moved from Feeding Hills to Longmeadow on Monday with the help of Northern Tree Service, based in Palmer, which donated its services.

"We have a long standing relationship with the town and wanted to do this for them," said Mark Lacombe, project manager for the company.

Wayne Ottani, also of Longmeadow, owner of Tree Corp. in Agawam, has volunteered to decorate the tree with holiday lights later this week.